Donovan Mitchell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Mitchell, Sexton, Luxury Tax, Duren

September 6th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The blockbuster for Donovan Mitchell abruptly ended the Cavaliers’ rebuilding project while amping up expectations, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

For a majority of the offseason, the Cavaliers were seemingly banking on internal improvement via a few minor tweaks. The trade changes that outlook. Lauri Markkanen is the player who will be the most difficult to replace since he was the team’s best option at small forward, Fedor adds.

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Trading Collin Sexton to Utah was the best case scenario for both him and the Cavaliers, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. He deserved better from the franchise considering the growing pains they endured. However, the team also earned the right not to overpay for him on his rookie scale extension. He wound up getting a four-year, $72MM contract.
The Cavaliers remain in good shape regarding the salary cap since Kevin Love’s contract expires next summer when Darius Garland’s extension kicks in, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic notes. The timing of these deals will allow them to decide when they enter the luxury tax and begin the repeat offender clock.
The Pistons traded into the lottery to snare center Jalen Duren but he’ll likely spend a majority of the season with the G League’s Motor City Cruise, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. The roster includes several veteran big men and GM Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey are proponents of developing young talent in the G League. Duren at 18 is the youngest player in the league, Langlois notes.

Cavaliers Rumors: Mitchell, Love, Rubio, LeBron

September 6th, 2022 at 12:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers‘ trade for Donovan Mitchell came together quickly last week after the Knicks decided to give an extension to RJ Barrett, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com says in a HoopsHype discussion with Michael Scotto. The Cavs and Jazz held unproductive talks regarding Mitchell in July at the Las Vegas Summer League, but president of basketball operations Koby Altman reached out again after news leaked of Barrett’s extension, asking if Utah would accept a package that didn’t include Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley.

The resulting deal gives Cleveland four potential All-Stars who are under contract for the next three seasons, along with $2.5MM in remaining cap room to fill out the roster. Fedor notes that the Cavaliers have a history of keeping a roster spot open for flexibility, so the next move may not happen right away. He suggests Cleveland may try to package Caris LeVert or Cedi Osman along with second-round picks in an effort to trade for a reliable small forward.

Scotto points out that Collin Sexton was a big winner in the trade because he had to be re-signed before he could be sent to Utah. Scotto hears that Sexton’s new four-year, $72MM contract is far beyond what Cleveland would have offered to keep him. The Cavs had been unwilling to exceed the luxury tax threshold to re-sign Sexton or to attach assets in an Osman trade to clear more room below the tax to increase their offer to Sexton.

There’s more on the Cavaliers from Fedor and Scotto:

Kevin Love‘s expiring $28.9MM contract could be used for another major trade, but Fedor believes the team is more likely to keep Love and take advantage of the cap relief after the season. Love accepted a reserve role under coach J.B. Bickerstaff last season and is well-liked in the locker room. Scotto can see him re-signing next summer for roughly the mid-level exception.
The Cavs brought back Ricky Rubio on a multiyear contract because they aren’t certain how much he’ll be able to play this season, according to Fedor. Rubio was examined by the team’s medical staff recently, and there’s still no timetable for him to return from the ACL tear he suffered last December. Fedor hears that Rubio might be ready in January or February, but the Cavaliers are mostly focused on getting a fully healthy season from him in 2023/24.
Cleveland wouldn’t turn down a LeBron James return after his current contract expires, but it would be on much different terms than when he came back in 2014, Fedor adds. Management feels good about the roster it has put together and wouldn’t be willing to give James the power that he typically demands.

Western Notes: Gobert, Mitchell, Jazz, Westbrook, Vezenkov

September 5th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert had some differences with Donovan Mitchell over the years but he feels his former Jazz teammate will thrive with the Cavaliers, he told Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net.

“I think he has a bright future,” Gobert said. “He’s one of the best young players in his position. He’s going to keep getting better. I think it’s a great opportunity for him to just get to a new system, a new team and be able to show what he can do.”

Gobert also praised Utah executive Danny Ainge for the players and draft picks he collected from Cleveland in the trade: “I think he definitely did a great job in getting as many assets as possible.”

We have more Western Conference news:

Jazz fans will need to get acquainted with all the players the team has acquired in the Gobert, Mitchell and Patrick Beverley trades. Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune takes a quick look at each of the acquisitions, highlighted by Collin Sexton and lottery pick Ochai Agbaji.
Russell Westbrook is expected to show up if LeBron James hosts a players-only minicamp before Lakers training camp, as James has often done in the past, Marc Stein reports in Substack article. The mini-camp would help ease any lingering tensions among their veteran players. Citing well-placed sources, Stein adds that the franchise won’t sit out Westbrook if he remains on the roster, unlike what the Rockets did with John Wall last season. New coach Darvin Ham will carve out a role for Westbrook if he’s not dealt.
Kings draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Vezenkov said he’s not focused on a potential jump to the NBA for the 2023/24 season, according to Semih Tuna of EuroHoops.net. “It’s a big season, I have a big priority with my team Olympiacos in what will be a very difficult year,” he said. “My only thought is to stay focused and stay healthy, to give everything I can [to Olympiacos]. And then we will see. Next summer is ten months away.” Vezenkov, 27, was a 2017 second-round pick. The Bulgarian star is the leading scorer in the EuroBasket event.

Northwest Notes: A-Rod, Garnett, Nuggets, Mitchell

September 3rd, 2022 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The sale of the Timberwolves shouldn’t be considered in jeopardy because of Alex Rodriguez’s reported financial situation, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Krawczynski talked to multiple sources who still expect the transaction to be completed as originally drawn up, even though a New York Post story this week questioned whether Rodriguez will have the money for his share of the next payment.

Rodriguez and Marc Lore have a unique arrangement with current owner Glen Taylor in which they are taking over full ownership on an installment plan. The next payment is due at the end of this year and the final one must be made by December 31, 2023. Krawczynski says there has been skepticism in some parts of the league about Lore and Rodriguez since the deal was announced, but there’s no immediate reason to believe they’ll miss either payment.

Krawczynski also notes that the duo has earned Taylor’s trust, as he empowered them to recruit president of basketball operations Tim Connelly away from Denver and gave them a voice on the Rudy Gobert trade.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Timberwolves, including Lore and Rodriguez, want to fix their relationship with Kevin Garnett and eventually retire his jersey, Krawczynski adds. The former All-Star may get the chance to buy a small piece of the team, although Krawczynski hasn’t heard of any “substantive discussions” toward that end. Garnett has also discussed being part of an ownership group for an expansion team in Seattle.
The Nuggets traded for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and signed Bruce Brown this offseason because of their projected fit alongside Nikola Jokic, assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis said in an interview with Fastbreak on Fan Nation. “Getting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown are both moves that really stand out for us because they are two players who understand their roles and are tailor-made to play with someone like Nikola,” Balcetis said. “… With Kentavious, his abilities to shoot and defend at a high level are what separate him from others who play his position. Bruce is a versatile guy on both ends of the floor that will fit into any role we need him in as well.”
The Jazz offered a farewell message to Donovan Mitchell after his trade to the Cavaliers became official today (Twitter link). “We got to watch you light up the league as a rookie and cheer you on as you became a perennial All-Star,” it read. “We witnessed you embrace and serve our community while standing for what’s right and uniting Jazz fans everywhere. Thank you for all the good you did here @spidadmitchell.”

Knicks Rumors: Mitchell, Rosas, Barrett, Grimes

September 3rd, 2022 at 8:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks believe they could have topped the offer that sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers, but they never got the chance to make a counterproposal, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Talks with the Jazz were on hold after word leaked late Monday night about an extension agreement with RJ Barrett. The Knicks were hoping to resume negotiations, but Utah reached a deal with Cleveland before that could happen.

Some members of the Knicks didn’t feel like they got “a fair shake” in the trade talks, and Bondy wonders whether the experience is related to the team’s high-profile appearance at a Jazz-Mavericks playoff game in April. New York, which was known to have interest in both Mitchell and Jalen Brunson, whom it ultimately signed, sent executives William Wesley and Allan Houston to the game, along with Julius Randle. They all sat at courtside, which reportedly upset officials from both Utah and Dallas.

The Knicks could have offered the Jazz more draft assets than they got from Cleveland, and they believe their early offers that centered on Barrett and first-round picks were better than the final deal. Bondy states that it’s unlikely that Utah executive Danny Ainge would sabotage a deal because of bitterness over the playoff stunt or a feud with CAA, but Bondy notes that Ainge only made one trade with the Knicks during his 18 years in the Celtics’ front office.

There’s more from New York:

Gersson Rosas, who serves as senior basketball advisor with the Knicks, handled most of the negotiations with Utah, sources tell Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Rosas has a friendly relationship with Jazz general manager Justin Zanik, so they did most of the talking instead of Ainge and Knicks president Leon Rose, according to Washburn’s sources. Although Rosas didn’t complete the deal, the report shows that he has assumed more than just an advisory role with the franchise.
The Knicks’ decision to give Barrett an extension was in reaction to the failed talks with the Jazz, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. A league source tells Berman that under normal circumstances, the team would have preferred to watch Barrett go through training camp before discussing the extension or possibly even wait until he hit restricted free agency next summer. The Knicks drafted Barrett before Rose and Wesley joined the organization. “They didn’t want to pay RJ now, they like RJ, but he’s not one of their guys,’’ Berman’s source said. “The preference was to trade him in a Donovan deal. … If they got Donovan without Barrett in the deal, they weren’t going to pay RJ now.’’
New York’s priority in trade talks was keeping Quentin Grimes, states David Aldridge of The Athletic. Aldridge recommends that the Knicks should dip into their stockpile of draft assets to try to get Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Pacers.

Northwest Notes: Gobert, Mitchell, Billups, Nurkic

September 3rd, 2022 at 8:36am CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly realizes it was a risk dealing so many draft picks and rotation players for Rudy Gobert but felt the club needed another impact player to get to the next level, he told Michael Rand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune on a podcast.

“We’re trying to redefine how the league views us,” Connelly said. “We knew we gave up a lot, but the hardest thing to find is elite talent and elite ‘happy’ talent is even harder to find.”

However, there will be a transition period. “It won’t be easy or seamless,” Connelly added. “I’m sure there will be some clunky moments initially. But we felt like we took a huge step forward with the acquisition of Rudy.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Donovan Mitchell thanked former Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Utah fans in an Instagram post as he waits for the blockbuster deal with the Cavaliers to become official. “Thank you for the memories and the incredible times… you guys watched me grow up on and off the floor… Coach Quin thank you for giving me the opportunity and trusting me to lead this team for the past 5 years‼️”
Grading the impending deal, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News gives the Jazz a B-plus and the Cavs a B. Todd notes the Jazz accomplished their goal of trying to get younger and to come away with some assets for future use. There’s also the possibility of Mitchell or some of Cleveland’s other stars eventually bolting in free agency, which would make those unprotected picks and pick swaps even more valuable.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups is at the EuroBasket tournament in Germany and feels it’s important to show support for his players, such as Bosnia’s Jusuf Nurkic, he told Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net. “I love to see guys go play on their national teams,” Billups said. “Because you’re playing the right way. You’re playing with a purpose and obviously because of that experience you’ll be in shape.”

Heat Notes: Herro, Crowder, Mitchell

September 2nd, 2022 at 6:49pm CST by Rory Maher

With Donovan Mitchell heading to Cleveland, the odds of the Heat giving Tyler Herro a rookie scale extension have seemingly increased, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

As Jackson and Chiang write, the Heat were keeping their options open, but with Kevin Durant agreeing to stick with the Nets, at least for now, and Mitchell off the table, there aren’t any obvious star players to target in a trade.

The reason Herro likely hasn’t received an extension to this point is due to the “poison pill provision,” and our Luke Adams actually used Herro as an example of why extending him would make trading him extremely difficult in our updated glossary entry.

If he theoretically received a four-year, $120MM extension, then Herro’s 2022/23 salary of $5,722,116 would count as the Heat’s outgoing salary figure in a trade, but any team acquiring Herro would have to view his incoming value as $25,144,423 — that’s the annual average of the five years and $125,722,116 he has left when accounting for both his current contract and his (hypothetical) new extension.

The Heat have given extensions to players on rookie contracts in the past, including Bam Adebayo, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow, Jackson and Chiang note.

Here’s more from Miami:

Jae Crowder remains a possible trade target to upgrade the power forward spot after losing P.J. Tucker in free agency, per Jackson and Chiang, who note Crowder “holds some appeal” to Miami. However, the Suns haven’t indicated they want to move him, and acquiring him would be complicated and require multiple players because the Heat don’t have anyone who is currently trade-eligible to cleanly match Crowder’s $10.18MM expiring salary in a one-for-one deal.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix (Twitter link), the Heat never made a formal offer for Mitchell. It’s worth noting that Gambadoro was the first to report that the Cavaliers, who ultimately acquired Mitchell, were pursuing him, so he seemed to have pretty good connections on the situation.
Meeting Utah’s high asking price for Mitchell reeks of a team “desperate to be relevant,” argues Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who says the Heat didn’t need to acquire the star guard because they’re already relevant. According to Winderman, Durant was worthy of pushing all the chips in the center for because he’s a “generational talent,” but that isn’t the case for Mitchell.

More Mitchell Trade Notes: Draft Picks, Knicks, Reactions

September 2nd, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Discussing the Donovan Mitchell trade on the latest episode of his Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report notes that the far-off nature of the unprotected first-round picks in the Cavaliers‘ offer (2025, 2027, and 2029) was one reason why the Jazz preferred that package to New York’s. While the Knicks were offering a pair of unprotected first-rounders, those picks would have conveyed earlier, per Fischer.

The further down the road a draft pick is, the more volatile its potential position is, since it’s far easier to forecast how a team will perform during the next year or two than six or seven years from now. In other words, the Jazz have a better chance of striking gold on a first-round pick in 2027 or 2029 than they would have on a 2023 or 2024 pick.

Here’s more on the Mitchell blockbuster:

Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a closer look at a few specific details of the Mitchell trade, explaining how the “base year compensation” rule affects Collin Sexton, examining Utah’s proximity to the luxury tax line, and breaking down the Jazz’s new 2023 cap room projection.
Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post doesn’t blame the Knicks for not going all-in for Mitchell, but he suggests the pressure is building on team president Leon Rose to make good use of all the extra draft assets he has acquired in recent years. Dan Devine of The Ringer, meanwhile, says Knicks fans will have to hope that Rose’s patience and willingness to stick to his plan is eventually rewarded.
Although he acknowledges it’s possible that the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Jazz might regret the decisions they made this week a few years from now, John Hollinger of The Athletic says he likes what all three teams did. As Hollinger outlines, the difference between the Cavs’ and Knicks’ current states made it more palatable for Cleveland to meet Utah’s asking price than it would’ve been for New York.
Chris Mannix of SI.com makes a similar case to Hollinger’s, arguing that Knicks fans should be just as happy about not acquiring Mitchell as Cavaliers fans should be about landing him. Cleveland is closer to championship contention than New York, according to Mannix, who writes that paying an extravagant price for Mitchell might’ve ultimately set the Knicks back.
Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune pens a farewell to Mitchell on behalf of Utah, where the young guard evolved into a star during the first five years of his career.

Knicks Notes: Reddish, Barrett, Mitchell

September 2nd, 2022 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on a Marc Berman report from Thursday, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News confirms that Knicks forward Cam Reddish would like a change of scenery.

“It’s clear Cam has no place (with the Knicks),” Bondy’s source said, adding that the former lottery pick would prefer to be relocated.

After Berman published his report on Thursday, Reddish responded to an Instagram comment claiming that he requested a trade and seemingly disputed that notion: “When I do that? Y’all be trippin.”

Still, as Bondy observes (via Twitter), wanting a change of scenery and formally requesting a trade are two different things. Even if Reddish hasn’t done the latter, we now have multiple reports suggesting he’s hoping for the former.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

RJ Barrett‘s new four-year extension with New York has a standard rising structure, starting at about $23.9MM in 2023/24 and increasing to $29.6MM by the fourth year, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. According to Marks, Barrett will have $3MM in annual incentives — $1MM apiece for making an All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive team.
On his latest Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst claimed that the Knicks’ decision to halt Mitchell trade talks earlier this week and sign Barrett to an extension “created an incredible amount of animus” between the Knicks and Jazz (hat tip to RealGM). Barrett’s new deal complicated the salary-matching possibilities between the Knicks and Jazz due to the poison pill provision, and would’ve forced the two teams to reset their negotiations.
The Knicks planned to continue pursuing Donovan Mitchell after agreeing on Monday to extend Barrett, but the Jazz began on Tuesday to focus on their discussions with the Cavaliers and never circled back to the Knicks before agreeing to a deal with Cleveland, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report argues that the Knicks were wise to resist meeting Utah’s asking price for Mitchell, calling it a “disciplined” decision not to push so many of their chips into the middle of the table. Not everyone was as enthusiastic about New York’s decision though. “Who are they saving their picks for?” one player agent said to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “(The Knicks) don’t really have the patience to build through the draft. Are they getting someone better than Donovan?”
In case you missed it, we passed along several reports earlier today on what the Knicks had been offering for Mitchell.

Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell Trade, Mobley, Roster

September 2nd, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers began talking to the Jazz about a possible Donovan Mitchell trade around the time of the Las Vegas Summer League, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber-only link). Fedor classifies those initial discussions as “unproductive,” noting that the Cavs felt Utah’s asking price was too high. However, he says the two teams reengaged about two weeks ago, then reached another impasse last week before general manager Koby Altman reconnected with Jazz GM Justin Zanik on Tuesday morning.

Multiple members of the Cavaliers’ front office believed that New York or another team rich on draft assets was capable of making stronger offer than Cleveland could, says Fedor. But those offers didn’t come, and the Jazz opted to accept the Cavs’ proposal.

While there are minor concerns about Mitchell’s “score-first mentality” and the size of Cleveland’s new-look backcourt, the three-time All-Star represents a major upgrade in talent for the Cavaliers, Fedor writes, adding that Mitchell – who will be 26 next Wednesday – also perfectly fits the club’s timeline. The Cavs ultimately decided to risk taking a big swing, feeling as if the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

The Cavaliers weren’t one of the teams reported to be on Mitchell’s list of preferred landing spots, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast that the longtime Jazz star was “very excited” when he found out he was headed to Cleveland and that the Cavs weren’t giving up any of their stars in the deal.
Also in that same Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst noted that the acquisition of Mitchell will likely make Evan Mobley ineligible for a five-year maximum-salary extension during the 2024 offseason. Teams are only allowed to have two of those “designated rookie” extensions on their books at once, and Mitchell and Darius Garland (both of whom signed designated rookie extensions) will still be under contract when Mobley becomes extension-eligible. Mobley would still be eligible to sign a four-year maximum-salary extension in 2024, or he could wait until restricted free agency in 2025 and sign a five-year max deal at that time.
One “prominent” Eastern Conference coach told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports that he believes the addition of Mitchell will help the Cavs unlock Mobley’s offensive upside. “You’re not throwing the ball down to him much anyways,” the coach said. “But a two-man game with either guard in the middle or side (pick-and-roll) will be tough.”
Even with Mobley, Garland, and Jarrett Allen still improving, some members of the Cavs organization were worried that the roster wasn’t strong enough to evolve into a legitimate contender in a tough Eastern Conference, which helped pave the way for the acquisition of Mitchell, writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
Cleveland’s trade for Mitchell is a statement deal, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic, who says it shows the Cavs are no longer content with being plucky young upstarts.
A panel of ESPN insiders breaks down the Mitchell trade, debating where the Mitchell/Garland backcourt duo ranks in the East and evaluating Cleveland’s ceiling following the deal.